The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Chapter 3
CHAP. 3.
Doctrine.THat the first institutiō of the Sabbath on the seventh day of the first week of the world was grounded vponupon Christ, and occationed by the promise of him to be mans mediatour, and the worlds redeemer. And the true & proper grounds of the sanctification of the weekly Sabbath, vponupon which it stands perpetually to the worlds end, and to the eternall rest in heaven, are Gods perfecting of the created world by bringing in redemption by Christ, Gods rest delight and pleasure in Christs mediation, and Gods blessing the seventh day with a blessing farre a boue the blessings all of other daies even the giving of Christ a perfect Saviour for mankinde. This point is most plaine and manifest by that whih I hauehave before delivered. But yet for the better setling of our Judgments and confirming of our hearts in the knowledge and beleefe of this truth Jt will not be amisse to add further proofes and reasons grounded on the sacred Scriptures.
First that which is the ground of Gods sanctifying the seventh day aboue all the other six dayes of the weeke must needes be somthing which came to passe one that day,1 Reason which farre excelled the workes created on the six dayes. For the holy Scriptures and the common practise of all nations do concure in this, that all holy daies whether weekly monthly or yearely are obserued and were first instituted in memory of some notable and extraordinary thing which on those dayes of the weeke, monethmonth, and yeare happened & came to passe, witnesse …he passover, Pentecost, the feast Purim; and dedication, the feast of Christ nativity, resurrection, ascension, our fif…h of November a…d many others. But there can be nothing imagined greater then the works of creatiō which were all finished on the six daies, but only the promise & relation of Christ the redeemer & the work of Redemption by him the eternall Sonne of God, on that day openly undertaken and begune as I hauehave before proved.
First for Gods ceasing from his workes of creation, and his bare rest from them, it being a doing of nothing & not making of good things, cannot in any case be esteemed better then the workes of the six dayes wherin God created all things good and perfect with naturall perfection. For doing of good is better in the judgment of all reasonable men, then doing of nothing.
Secondly, for Gods perfecting of the creation by bringing man and woman the last and chiefest of his creatures into being that wa… on the sixt day, and his making of every creature compleat and perfect in his kinde, that was done on the severall dayes in which they were severally created, they cannot be any ground of sanctifying the seventh day but rather of the six daies of the weeke. Wherefore it remaines that Christ promised … perfect redemptiō on the seventh day of the world begin̄ing actually to mediate for man & to cōmunicate his spirit & supernaturall grace & faith to our first parents is the ground of the institution of the we…kly Sabbath on that day·
Secondly; a supernaturall effect cannot proceed from a naturall cause,2 Reason a spirituall building cannot be surely setled on a naturall ground and foundation. If the effect be supernaturall the cause must be such, and if the bu…lding be spirituall, the found…tion alsoe must be spirituall on which it is setled. Now the sanctification of the Sabbath as it is Gods worke in the first institution, it is a seperating of a day from naturall, to heavenly, spirituall, and supernaturall vse, and to workes which tend to such an end as cannot be obtained by creation, but onelyonly by the mediation of Christ, and sanctification of the Sabbath as it is a worke and duty which God requires of a man, is wholy exercised about things which concerne Christ, & which hauehave relation to him, and which none can rightly performe without the communion of the spirit of Christ, and the sauing guifts and graces of God in Christ. The Hebrew word Kad…sh signifies onelyonly such workes in all the Scriptures wheresoever it is vsed, & never any thing is said to be holy or sanct…fying but in, for, and by Christ, wherefore that ground of the Sabbath must needes be something in Christ, or indeed Christ himselfe on the seventh day first promised and revealed a perfect and alsufficient Redemer and mediatour to gather all things to God.
3 ReasonThirdly that which hath no proper or principall end or vse, but such as presupposeth Christ and his mediation, and is subordinate to him promised and to the revelation of redemption by him, must needes be grounded on Christ, and receive the first institution and Originall from the promise of him, or him promised. This is a certaine truth which with no culour of reason can be denied, For God doth nothing in vayne, he makes althings for there proper end & vse, and brings nothing into being before hee hath a proper end & vse ready before hand, for which it may serve. Now the proper principall end & vse of the Sabbath for which the Lord is said in the Scriptures to institute & give it to his people, is such as presupposeth Christ and his actuall mediation, and is subordinate to the promise of redemtion by him.
First God himselfe testifieth both in the Law Exod. 31, 13. also in the Prophets Ezech. 20.12. that he gaue his Sabbath to his people for this end and vse, Tha… it might be a perpetuall signe betweene him and them, to confirme them in this knowledge & beleefe, That he is their God who doth sanctifie them.
Secondly, another maine vse for which God instituted the Sabbath is, that it might be a signe and pledge to his people of the eternall rest or Sabbathisme which remaines for them in heaven, and vntill they come to that rest, they are bound to keepe a weekly holy Sabbath to put them in hope of that eternall rest, soe much may be gathered from the Apostles words, Heb. 4.3.9.
Thirdly, the Sabbath is for that end and use that by keeping it holy, & by sanctifying our selvs to the Lord, and delighting our selvs in him, and in his holy worshippe, wee might grow up in holinesse without which none can come to see, and enjoy God, and soe might draw still more neere to God till we be fully fitted to see and enjoy him in glory, and to come to his eternall rest in Heaven. Now all these principall endes and vses of the Sabbath doe presuppose the promise of Christ and his mediation.
For first in him alone as he is our mediatour, God becomes our God, who doth sanct…fie us, and without Gods shedding of the holy Ghost on us through Christ, we can never be truly sanctified as appeares Rom. 8.9: Tit. 3.6. & 1 Cor. 1.30, And in Christ we are called to be Saints and sanctified, 1 Cor. 1.2.
Secondly, there is no thought or hope of eternall rest in heaven but in and by Christ, hee brings us into that, and by going before us makes way for us Heb. 6.20. & 9, 24. Jt is that which never entered into the heart of man, his reason conceives it not till God doth reveale it by his spirit given though Christ 1 Cor. 2.9.10.
Thirdly, no man can hauehave accesse vntounto God but in Christ, there is no approach to the throne of grace but in him Heb. 4.16. It is Christ alone who for his peoples sake sanctified himselfe, that they also might be sanct…fied Ioh. 17.19. And there is no growing up in grace & holinesse but in him and by vnion and communion in one body with him as our head Eph. 13·16. vponupon these infalible premises it followes necessarily, that the proper end and use of the Sabbath presupposing Christ, the first institution thereof must needes be grounded on Christ also.
Fourthly,4 Reason if Christ as he is the Sonne of man vnited in one person vntounto God, and so our mediatour, be the Lord of the Sabbath, so that the alteration and chaunge of it from one of the seven dayes to another, is onelyonly in his power and depends wholy on some chaunge in him; then the institution of it is grounded one the promise of him and upon his mediation. Now the Antecedent is manifest by our Sauiours owne words, Mat. 12.9. where hee calls himselfe Lord of the Sabbath day. And by his resurrection and becomming the head stone of the corner, the Sabbath is chaunged from the day of him promised vntounto the day of the full exhibition of him aperfect actuall redeemer in his resurrection, as David foretold Psal. 118. And the practise of the Apostles in all Churches of Christian Gentiles doth aboundantly declare, Act. 20.7. and 1 Cor. 16.2. wherefore undoubtedly Christ promised, was the first ground of the institution of the Sabbath, & as our Saviour in that place of the Gospel Mat. 12.9. affirmes. it was made for man, that is not only for mens use but also for him, the son of man: & upon the promise & undertaking of him to become man & the seed of the women, for mans redemption & for destroying the workes of the Divill.
VSE.
This Doctrine thus fully proved & confirmed, is a Doctrine of speciall use to worke in the hearts of all true Christians, who have all their hope & confidence in Christ, an high & holy reverence & esteeme of the Lords holy weekly Sabbath, & to provoke & stirre them up to a carefull conscionable & diligent observation thereof, in all their generations, for the promoting & propagating of pietye, & for the increase of devotion and advauncement of Religion, in all succeding ages. If the observation of the weekly Sabbath were but a dictate of nature, written in mans heart in the creation; then were the chiefe end and ayme of it no more but an earthly felicitye, and the fruition of a naturall life in an earthly paradise. It should be no better then one of the duties which belong to the old couvenant of life, & justification by mans owne works; which is abolished and made void by mans fall. And It is wholy frustrated of the proper end & use of it, which was justification, & life by workes of a mans own doing. And so being not a part of the wisedome, which is from above, it should be of lesse esteme and of common and ordinary account with holy Christian Saintes. Or if the Sabbath were a legall rite and ceremoniall ordinance onelyonly, such as were sacrifices, burnt offerings, circumcision and legall purifications, which were shadowes of things to come, then should it be abolished by the full exhibition of Christ, and the observation thereof among Chistians of the beleeveing Gentiles, were no better then setting up of abominations which make desolate by cutting men of from Christ.
But here we are taught better things concerning the Lords holy weekely Sabbath, to weet: that it is an holy Heavenly, Euangelicall ordinance, wholy grounded upon Christ and depending onelyonly upon him▪ first instituted upō the promised Christ, & limitted to the seventh day of the weeke, in which he was promised to be mans redeemer, did undertake, & in some measure begin actually to mediate and to intercede for man with God, and commaunded to be kept onelyonly on that seventh day, during the tyme of the old Testament while Christ was onelyonly promised, & the fathers sought salvation in him to come:
And now ever since the full exhibition of Christ a perfect redeemer in his resurrection, necessarily imposed on all Christians, and limitted by virtue of the first institution and foundation of it upon Christ, to that day even the first day of the weeke, which is the greatest day of Christ appearing in the nature of man on earth, that is the day of his resurrection to glory and immortalitie, and the day of his complete victory and triumph, in his owne person over sin, death, the Devill & all the powers of darknesse.
So that though the particular dayes of the weekely Sabbath, that is the seventh of the weeke in the old Testament, and the first in the new; and under the Gospell may truly be called temporarye and caeremoniall, because they have their set tymes and seasons; the one the tyme and season onelyonly under Christ promised; the other the tyme and season under Christ fully exhibited, that is the whole tyme of grace under the Gospell vntill we come both in soules and bodyes to the etternall Sabbath and rest in heaven, when (Christ Mediatour haveing destroyed all enimyes and delivered up the Kingdome to God his father) God shalbe all in all:
Yet they are such ceremonies as are holy in their seasons, not by signification and consecration to holy and supernaturall use only, as legall shadowes were: but also materially and in respect of the very duties, which are performed in observation of them; yea and effectively because the due observations of them properly tends to begitt and increase true holynesse in Gods people.
Besides if we consider the observation of a weekely Sabbath simply in it self without limitation to a particular day, so it is a perpetuall ordinaunce of God which bindes all mankind to the end of the world.
And there is none of all Adams posteritye, but by Gods first institution he is bound to keep the holy weekely Sabbath, upon that very day of the weeke, which by the word of God and the ground of the institution, appeares to be most seasonable in the age and the state of the Church under which thy live and have their being on earth.
Now these things being, soe, how it is possible that any true syncere Christian (who as by one spirit and by a true lively faith, soe also in his whole heart and in all holy affections is vnited vntounto Christ; and hath all his h…pe & confidence in him as in his only Redeemer Lord & Saviou…) should not hauehave the we…kely Sabbath in most high esteeme, which was first grounded vponupon Christ, promised & came in upon the seventh day of the world, …ogether with the word of promise and the glad tidings of the worlds redemp…ion by Christ: …nd with the perpe…u…ll commandements of repenting and beleeving in Christ, which are the great commandements of the Gospell, which Holy and blessed Sabbath hath still continued and gone a long with Christ pr…mised on the seventh day, during the time of the old Testament, and si…ce the full exhibition of Christ in his resurrection; hath advanced forward together with Christs vntounto the fi…st day of the weeke, in wh…ch day he perfected mans redemption, triumphed over death, rose vp and was advanced to glory & immortallity, Surely they who professe louelove to Christ, and profane the weekely Sabbath, they are no better then painted Hipocrties, yea rather they are to bee numbred among those bold, audacious and scandalous sinners, who presume to pull a sunder those whome God hath inseperably joyned together, that is, the sabbath and Christ the Lord of the sabbath, who while they professe Christ in word, doe indeed deny the power of true Chr…stian godlinesse, and do what in them lieth, to turne the publick worship of God into sacrilegious profanation, and soe to provoke the eyes of his glory. Thus much for the second maine thing her… offered in this text, that is the ground of the holy weekly Sabbath.